How Ben Eblen's Webinar Unlocked Something!
From Perfectionist to Stylized Art?
Hello everyone
Lately, I've been immersed in figure drawing, thanks to the inspiration I've found in Ben Eblen's work.
Ben creates stunning stylized artworks, and I've been following his streams occasionally. Recently, while watching his one-hour webinar at Design Cut, something just clicked for me.
I want to stylize my work! It seems effortless when he does it, but the reality is, he's been perfecting his craft for years. I've only just begun.
My biggest challenge right now is opening my own Pandora's box. I need to step out of my comfort zone and embrace this new style, but it’s incredibly hard!
I still have this ingrained need for perfection in every piece I create. I feel like I'm not allowed to stylize the human body, it needs to be perfect, the academic way, like Proko. Breaking free from this mindset is tough. When something looks even slightly off, my brain tells me: "This is ugly. You failed this city," and much worse.
But you know what? I'm trying! And that's what matters, right? I've dived into figure drawing to infuse some stylization into my work. And guess what? I’m heading in the right direction, I think.
With each drawing, I find more satisfaction. I began by leaving out the faces and focusing on the stylization of the body. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s closer than ever before.
And I'm having fun! That's the best part of it all. I need to apply the same approach to drawing animals. My drawings don't need to be realistic, I never wanted them to be. Why I kept striving for realism is a mystery.
There's a part of me that insists on making everything more realistic, but I think that's my ADHD and ASD talking.
For those of us with these conditions, especially ADHD, we're often our own harshest critics. Everything we do feels like a failure. And when external factors echo those feelings, it's a long road out of that mindset. But it's possible.
I think I need to start watching Ben's live streams more and study his techniques. I prefer live viewing over VODs, but the time difference is a challenge. He's in Australia, and I'm in Sweden, a 10-hour difference. Thankfully, he streams on YouTube and keeps the videos up. 😁
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Hey Jezz, this artwork is phenomenal! I love stylization so much, but like you said, it can be pretty hard to do because I want it to look realistic as well lol. I’m not really a fan of how some of the current anime’s are drawn today. I heard of a new technique that they use (though I forgot the exact name) I think it’s called something like a graphic hot shot lol. Basically a faster way of creating and shooting the anime so it doesn’t take so long to draw. But I find some anime’s like dragon ball super look a little too perfect and deviate from the stellar artwork and design it had before that added to its charm. Thank you so much for posting this! Your newsletter is awesome by the way! Just subscribed! :)
I struggle with stylization SO MUCH and for the same reasons you’ve laid out. I want it to look realistic. Never considered that it might be related to something like ADHD. Maybe? Eh, I don’t know, but you’ve sold me on checking out his seminars. thanks for the recommendation.